Fencing wire stretcher



March 29, 1955 R. v. WEISE FENCING WIRE STRETCHEA Filed March 19, 1951 Rai fh ldylncmd: Weds@ Mt mama United States Patent FEN CIN G WIRE STRETCHER Reginald vincent weise, Nm Plains, walgetf, New South Wales, Australia Application March 19, 1951, Serial No. 216,298 Claims priority, application Australia Apri] 18, 1950 1 Claim. (Cl. 254-76) This invention relates to devices which are particularly intended to be used for stretching fencing wire. Such devices may also be used for other purposes, e. g. for dragging vehicles out of bogs or for pulling tree stumps.

It is not intended to restrict the use of the invention to wire stretching, although, for convenience, it will be described as used for that purpose.

Existing wire stretchers usually include a stretcher bar having an anchor block. Two wires are required, one stationary and one moving. The former is secured to the anchor block and means are provided for moving the latter towards the former until they can be joined.

This arrangement has several disadvantages. Difficulty is always experienced in securing the wire ends together. Usually there is insufficient clearance between the wires and the stretcher to enable this to be done.

When securing a new wire to a stretcher post, the moving wire is passed through a hole in the post and has to be wedged securely in place while under stretch. The wedge often splits the post. It is usually necessary also to use an anchor wire which has to be discarded later, and may be wasted.

Existing stretchers are usually slow in operation.

The object of the present invention is to provide a stretcher which is substantially free from the above disadvantages.

The invention, therefore, in a general form, is a stretcher including an approximately U-shaped bar having an open slotted integral gripping hook formed at the free end of one leg of the U, and wire stretching means located at the free end of the other leg of the U, the hook being directed towards said other leg.

One form of stretcher according to the invention will be described with referencejto the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the stretcher;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stretcher;

Fig. 3 is a detail showing the use of the stretcher to join adjacent ends of a broken wire or adjacent ends of two wires;

Fig. 4 is a section larged scale;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the use of the stretcher in stretching a wire prior to securing it to a fence post or like anchorage.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, a main member 6 is of steel or other suitable material of generally shallow U- shape with an extension piece 7 from the end of the leg 8 of the U parallel to the base 9. An outer stop 10, e. g. a split pin passed through a hole in the extension 7, is located near the centre of the extension.

An outer block 11 having a flange 12 is slidably mounted on the outer end of 7 and a finger piece 13 is pivotally mounted on the block and is shaped at its end 14 adjacent to the flange 12 so that, by rotating the finger piece in one direction a wire may be jammed between the end of the finger piece and the flange and by rotating it in the other direction the wire may be released.

A helical spring 15 surrounds 7 between the stop 10 and the block 11.

An inner block 16 having a flange 17 is slidably mounted on the extension 7 on the side of 10 opposite to 11. A second or inner stop 18 is secured on 7 inwardly of 16 and a second helical spring 19 surrounds 7 between 18 and 16.

A second finger piece 20 is pivoted on 16 and is shaped on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1 on an enat its end 21 adjacent to the flange 17 so that, when rotated in one direction it may jam a wire between it and the flange 17 and by rotating it in the other direction the wire may be released.

An operating lever 22 is pivoted near one end on 7 at 23 inwardly of the stop 18. A first rod or link 24 is pivotally attached at its respective ends to the end of 22 near 23 and to the finger piece 20, and extends approximately parallel to 7.

A second rod or link 25 is located on the opposite side of the extension 7 from the rod 24 and approximately parallel to the extension. It is connected at its respective ends to the finger piece 13 and to the operating lever 22 on the opposite side of 7 to 24.

The free end of the leg 27 of the U portion of 6 is approximately in line with the extension 7. It is hooked slightly at 28 towards the extension, and is provided with an gpen-ended slot 29 extending to the base of the hook 28 at 0.

For joining the adjacent ends of a broken wire, the' stretcher is used in the following manner.

One end of the wire is looped around the hook 28 and twisted around itself as at 32 (Fig. 3). The second end 33 is located between each block flange and its associated finger piece. Repeated strokes of the operating lever draw the second wire`33 towards the hook 28 and the looped first wire 31. When a sufficient length of the second wire has passed through the hook slot 29, between the first wire 31 and the slot base 30, to beyond the hook, its end is passed through the first wire loop, passed back through the hook slot and twisted around itself as at 34. The join is then readily detached from the hook, and the stretched wire is readily detached from the blocks by rotating the finger pieces.

For securing the end of a wire 35 to a fence post 36 (Fig. 5), the hooked end 28 of the stretcher is secured around the post just below the desired position of the end of the wire. The wire is held between: the blocks and finger pieces, and is drawn towards the post. When sufficient stretched wire is drawn beyond the post, the free end is secured to the post, or to another'wire already secured to the post.

The action of the blocks 11, 16 and associated finger pieces 13, 20 and other components in tensioning a wire located between 21 and 17 and between 14 and 12 is as follows.

On a stroke of the lower end of 22 to the right, the wire is released from between 14 and 12 and gripped between 17 and 21. In addition the block 16 carrying the gripped wire moves to the left tensioning the wire and compressing the spring 19. On the return stroke of 22, the wire is gripped and held stationary at 14, 12 and released at 17, 21 while the block 16 moves freely to the right ready to grip the wire further to the right than before on the next forward stroke of 22.

For hauling, stump pulling and like purposes the stretcher is used by hooking the end 28 of 6 around a post 36 or other suitable anchorage and securing the end of a wire such as 35, remote from 36, toithe load, either directly or indirectly. The wire is then tensioned and drawn towards the anchorage by repeated strokes of the handle 22.

I claim:

A wire stretcher including an approximately U-shaped bar having an elongated base, an open slotted integral gripping hook formed at the free end of one leg of the U, an outward extension away from the hook from the free end of the other leg of the U approximately parallel to the U base andv approximately in alignment with the hook, the hook being directed towards said other leg and wire holding and stretching means mounted on the extension and adapted to support a wire and stretch it inwards towards the hook; wherein the wire holding and stretching means comprise a first stop located approximately midway along the extension, a second stop located near the inner end of the extension, a first flanged block slidably mounted on the extension on the outer side of the first stop, a second fianged block slidably mounted on the extension between the stops, finger pieces rotatably mounted on the respective blocks and each adapted when rotated in one direction to lock a wire to be stretched between it and the block ange and when ro `tated in the other direction to unlock the wire, and operating means operatively connected to the respective finger pieces and adapted when moved in one direction to unlock the first finger piece from the wire and to lock the second finger piece tothe wire and to move the second block and the wire locked between it and its finger piece towards the hook, and when moved in the other direction to lock the first finger piece to the wire against the rst block flange and to unlock the second linger piece from the wire and move the second block away from the hook and a first helical spring surrounding the extension between the rst stop and the rst block and a second helical Aspring surrounding theA extension between the sce ond 'stop and the second block.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Duigan July 2, 1918 

